"Friends Dont Look At Friends That Way" COWARD. I Look At My Friends With Awe In My Eyes, My Chest Is

I Will

Second drabble! This one is more centered around the reader and Megumi's relationship as the reader raises him with Satoru. 1,408 words this time <3 It does end with Gojo getting sealed and there is some angst, and I promise that Gojo is actually in it lol! Again can be read as a stand alone fic or in a series, but how I'm writing them right now there really isn't an order to them.

Megumi snuggled closer into your side. You two were on a blanket looking up at the stars while Satoru was busy picking up Tsumiki from her after school clubs. They had run a little late, and with it being fall, the sun had left the sky and there were more things to look up at.

You know that Megumi really enjoys the night and the stars. He has told you about every other constellation and the history behind them on nights like this before, but tonight, he was just silent.

“What’s on your mind, sweet boy?” Megumi let one of your hands gently comb through the spikes of his hair. He hated when Satoru touched his hair, but he found it easy to trust you and let you mess it up.

“I… I’m really… glad you and Gojo got together. And that you are raising us.” A soft smile spread across your face without you knowing as you pulled him a bit closer.

“Oh Megumi. We are also so glad to have you with us. Have I ever told you that you are my favorite person in the whole world?” There was a small pout on his lips that made his cheeks chubbier as he lifted his head more so he could look at you.

Megumi didn’t ever really share things like this often, and it worried you a bit. Was something wrong? He slightly tugged on your sleeve, and you let him fiddle with it while you waited for him to say something else in response.

“Am I really your favorite person? Like, do you, like, love me more than Gojo? And Tsumiki?” You laughed a bit as you lifted the hand that wasn’t in his hair to his cheek as you stroked it softly. He leaned into your hand a bit, unconsciously. Your heart melted a bit.

Satoru did that too. They were a lot more alike than either of them would ever admit.

“Of course. Don’t tell either of them, but you are. Satoru and Tsumiki have each other, so that means you get to be my little boy.” he giggled slightly as you started pressing small kisses all over his face and when your hands started to gently tickle his sides. “You will always have me on your side, ‘k?” Megumi nodded as a rare look of joy was spread over his normally grumpy face.

“I will be on your side too. When you and Gojo get divorced, I’m going to live with you!” the sparkles in his eyes and smile on his face as he said that made you choke out a disbelieved laugh.

“Divorce? Sweety, we would need to be married first.” he just hummed in agreement as he again began to snuggle in closer to you. He must have been getting cold, so you grabbed your jacket that was laying next to you and set it over him. He curled up a bit more so that way he could get more warmth.

“Okay. Once you guy’s get married, I will take your last name, that way you really are my parent.” Scratch what you said earlier about him being quieter.

And where was he hearing all of this stuff?

“If we do get married, we don't all have to have the same last name. If that is okay with you and your sister, you guys could keep your own last name. And Satoru's clan would be upset if I married and didn't take the Gojo name. But if that is the case, you can’t call Satoru Gojo anymore. Otherwise, it will get confusing.”

Megumi’s eyebrows furrowed at that. Satoru had been trying for a solid year to get Megumi to call him anything other than Gojo (ie- his first name, dad, great protector, strongest one.)

The closest he’s come is the nicknames bitch and idiot.

(You suspect he got that from his school- you don’t like it but Gojo insists that it has a good educational system. You suppose that the only other school option you have is jujutsu high, but even with Megumi’s family lineage and cursed technique you have been doing your best to keep both of the kids away from that life. Besides, Satoru and Shoko both have dirty mouths that sometimes slip in front of the kids.)

“I don’t care for Satoru. I think we should kick him out.” That was a lie, and you both knew that it was. Despite his harsh words, Megumi cared for his “surrogate” dad even though he was still incredibly salty to him.

“I don’t think so. I still love him.” He let out a sigh that suggested he was both too tired and sick of this constant talk of your boyfriend.

The two of you lapsed back into silence.

That was until the front door was heard opening and you heard Satoru’s voice yell out, calling your names.

“Honey, I’m home!” You untangled yourself from Megumi as you both got up to greet the other two at the door.

“Hey.” you took bag the he was holding (Tsumiki’s school bag) as Satoru put Tsumiki on the ground after previously being on his shoulders. She ran into another room, most likely the kitchen, as Satoru got down knees and opened his arms.

You watched as he wiggled his eyebrows towards Megumi, who was standing on the sideline.

Megumi shook his head as a look of fear took over his features.

Satoru’s grin widened as he moved closer, close enough so that way he could sweep his feet off the floor as he pressed a flurry of wet kisses all over his kiss.

This was probably bad. Too much affection would probably stop the poor boy's heart. But soon enough both of their giggles filled up the space as Megumi called out uncle. He took a few seconds to catch his breath and readjust his clothes, but once he composed himself he sent a glare at Satoru.

“This is why I hate you. You are my least favorite person.” he then turned around and stalked off to his room. Satoru turned to you, his smile still very much on his face.

“I guess he’s reaching that age. Do you think it will get any easier once they are teenagers?"

“I do”

His eyes softened as he looked into yours, and one of his arms circled around your waist as he pulled you towards him.

He pulled in for a soft kiss, one that made you feel every gallon of he has for you and your small family of four, along for the future you all had together.

Once he pulled away, he kept his forehead against yours as he swayed back and forth a little.

“I don’t know what I would do without you.” Those whispered words warmed your heart. It seemed like today was a day of sweet confessions.

You didn’t know how this had happened.

You held Megumi close to your chest as you felt his tears sink through your uniform.

Nanami was dead, Nobara’s condition was very unstable, some old curse had taken control of the body of an old friend, and your love had been sealed into a box.

Shibuya had gone wrong in all of the worst ways, in ways that led to you comforting your normally emotionless son as he weeped for a person he had spent his young years scheming against. Tears slipped past your eyes as you pressed a kiss on to the top of his head.

Itadori had eaten a lot of fingers, the Zenin clan had come to an end, Tsumiki was now in the culling games, and Principal Yaga had died at the hands of an unfair sentence.

“He’s the strongest. He’ll get out, right?” Megumi whispered the words, and they were almost too muffled for you to hear, but you heard them anyway.

The way he said sounded so hopeful, just as if he was back to being a boy who was scared by thunderstorms but who knew it would end soon.

“Of course he will, sweet boy. He will always come back to us.”

But even if your words let go of some of the tension from your son's shoulders, you almost found it hard to believe yourself. You didn’t doubt your husband, but this was a whole nother situation you had never thought of or prepared for.

This was not the future you had wanted for your family.

Carry Me Out

In which you and Satoru realize you don't know what to get Megumi for his birthday, and in which Satoru comes up with a simple way on how to know.

Third drabble, could be read stand alone again! Sorry this took so long to get out! Almost 2,000 words! This has been a work in progress for a while, and to be honest, I have no idea why I finished it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Megumi’s birthday was coming up.

You’ve been there for two of his birthday’s, but this year, he was turning ten. Obviously, this was a very big deal for you and Satoru.

The problem you are facing is that when the two of you asked what he had wanted, Megumi just shrugged and told you that he wanted what he would normally get. (Which since being under the care of Satoru, was pretty much a mix of money, books, toys, candy, or other things Megumi was interested in. Sometimes he asks for things for his dogs, so treats, balls and chew toys will occasionally be added to the pile.)

So, a week before the day of your adopted son’s birth, you and Satoru held a private meeting between the two of you to brainstorm.

“I think he said he wanted monster high dolls. And some pokemon cards, as well as a disk copy of that latest Teenage Mutant Ninja turtle iteration. Also, a day spent looking at candy shops.” your ever-so-helpful boyfriend was lying down across the length of your shared bed.

You hit him with one of your pillows as you paced around, anxiously tapping a pen onto a notepad. “Satoru, those are all things you want.” you paused, thinking a bit for a little. “But actually, I will put monster high dolls down. I think I caught him staring at the Sweet 1600 Clawdeen the last time we went to Target.” You jotted a few notes and then looked back at Satoru.

His arms were settled behind his head and his eyes were closed, his sunglasses placed on his bedside table. Satoru still smiled as he confidently whispered, “See, I’m helpful.”

You rolled your eyes and groaned before you flopped down next to him, face first. Satoru began rubbing small circles onto your back and you turned your head to look at him. His blue eyes stared back into yours, which was slightly alarming and caught you way off guard.

“I know this is super important, but you should take it down a notch. It’s not good for your skin.” You sighed.

“Satoru, it's Megumi’s 10th birthday. Two digits! My skin doesn’t matter as much as him having a good birthday.” He pulled you closer to him and he pressed a kiss onto the top of your head.

“Okay, you know what? I’ll talk to him. Maybe, all he wants for his birthday is some quality time with daddy, the strongest sorcerer and man in the whole wor-”

Satoru wasn’t able to finish his sentence before a pillow hit him in the face and you were out of the room.

Satoru decided that the best way to get answers is to catch Megumi off guard.

So, he was going to do something he hadn't ever done before- pick him up from school. At first, he had left it up to Nanami to drive his kids around, but pretty soon it was you who took up that spot.

He had to admit, something about watching three of the people he loved most come crashing through his front door, all in a mess to shed off school related things just to get a snack quickly, warmed his heart up in way’s he figured would never be possible.

Satoru leaned onto his (expensive) car door, arms crossed in front of his chest, a smirk on his lips as he greeted other random parents who were also waiting for their kids.

The sun was beating down pretty bright onto his face, extra bright from the reflecting of the white snow all over the ground, so even with his sunglasses he almost missed the school doors opening. But, he did have his six eyes and multiple other powers that allowed him to doge the punch Megumi had thrown at his knees.

“Why are you here?” Megumi went in for another swig and a kick, but Satoru picked him up before he could. Megumi squirmed as his dad placed a wet kiss on his cheek.

“I’m here to pick you up! Aren’t you so happy?”

“Dad!!!”

“Tsumiki!!!”

Satoru placed down Megumi so he could sweep up his daughter, who was running right at him, matching huge smiles on both of their faces.

“What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

“Everything is great, ‘Miki. Just figured you guys would want to see my face a little sooner than normal.”

Tsumiki giggled as Satoru pressed a bit more of a softer kiss onto her face.

“All right, let's get in the car and go home! Snacks are waiting for you.” He set Tsumiki down in the back seat, buckling her in and then patting her shoulder. Satoru shut the door and then jogged to the other side of the car where Megumi was struggling to reach the door handle and get in.

Satoru opened the door and smiled at him, but Megumi just scowled and climbed up, using all of his strength to get in the seat and buckle himself. The drive started quiet, the jolly holiday music softly playing from the stereo.

“So…. Megumi. Your birthday’s coming up, isn’t it? Is there something you would like?” Satoru looked at his son through the rearview mirror.

Megumi grumbled something, too low for even his sister to catch.

“What was that, oh sweetest child of mine?”

“I said I want you to disappear.” Tsumiki gasped and Satoru tutted as he made a turn, getting closer to home.

“How about you make a list! All of the things you want, all on one paper! It would make both of your parents very happy!” Satoru’s sing song voice made Megumi scoff.

“Megumi! That is such a good idea!” Tsumiki spoke excitedly.

Megumi turned towards her fast while a smile grew larger on the dads face.

“We can work on it together! I’ll help you! Oh my gosh, this will be so much fun!” Megumi’s expression soured.

This, he thought, would not be fun.

You were doing dishes when you heard the loud crashing that walked through your front door. Wiping your hands on a towel, you walked over to find your family struggling to take off your boyfriend's shoe, the left one.

Well , Tsumiki was trying to help.

Megumi was repeatedly hitting Satoru in the leg with his small light up sneakers.

“You have big fat feet! Get out of my way!” You couldn't help but giggle as Megumi yelled at Satoru.

“Gumi, there’s hot chocolate on the table for you. How ‘bout you leave your dad alone for now, hmm?” Megumi’s eyes brightened despite his continued grumbling as he left Satoru standing, still struggling to get his shoe off.

“Is there one for me too?” Tsumiki perked up, stars surrounding her as she asked you that.

“Of course!” She yelled a quick hooray before running after her younger brother. You moved closer to your boyfriend as a pout settled onto his face.

“How did you even get your shoe stuck on?” Kneeling down, you laughed at him as you tried to loosen the laces a bit, tugging on a few places to help widen the hole that still was hugging his ankle.

“They must be older than I thought.” Satoru shrugged. “Are they always more happy to see hot chocolate than they are to see me?”

There was a slight hint of jealousy and pettiness in his tone, making this even more hilarious for you.

“Hey, stop laughing! This is a really serious situation!” The shoe you were pulling on popped off, making you fall back a bit. Before you really could though, Satoru attached one of his hands to the area just between the middle of your back and your waist.

“Oh! You got my shoe off! Thanks hun!” He pressed a kiss onto your cheek and then tugged you up, keeping you in place in front of him, still in the doorway. “Anyway, I had a genius idea! Megumi’s going to make a birthday list!" There was a pause that was filled with silence.

"Tell me that I’m a genius please.”

You snorted as a response to his need to inflate his ego. “That is smart, good job Toru.” You put your hand on his cheek and he seemed to snuggle into your palm as a smug smile grew on his lips.

“Do the kids have paper? You should probably get some down for them.” Your brows furrowed as you moved away from him (killing the moment in the process) and towards the dining table where both your son and daughter were nursing their hot drink as they watched Sofia the First on the tv Satoru set up on a portion of the huge kitchen counter.

You pressed a soft kiss on both of the tops of their heads before getting some markers and then sitting down besides them.

“Honey! I got the paper!” Satoru came back over to you guys, pressing a wet and loud kiss onto you and Tsumiki’s cheeks before getting hit in the face by Megumi.

“Stay away from me, old man.” Satoru’s expression turned from ecstatic into despair as he sat down in the chair next to you, his head finding home on your shoulder as he and his son engaged in a glaring match.

“Still salty, huh? You literally have hot chocolate!”

“I don’t enjoy seeing your face right when I get out of school. Don’t you think you've extended your stay here?”

“This is my house! And I’m on vacation. You will be as well, so prepare to see me even more!” Megumi stuck out his tongue which caused Satoru to huf and to bury his face more into your collarbone.

“Are you sure he deserves a good birthday?” He muttered to you. You pushed him off of you (which was a bit of a struggle) and slid the papers and markers to be in front of Megumi. He gave you the cutest confused look you have ever seen.

“It’s for your wish list sweet boy. You can write whatever you want on there.” He nodded, a little bit of blush colored his cheeks.

You could almost also think that he was excited.

Megumi handed his list to you after you had tucked him in and read him his favorite children's book about dogs. He didn't say anything when he did, so you took it with a thank you and an I love you.

You settled into your own shared bed with Satoru after you had done all of your nightly routines. The lamp from your bed side table was alight when you decided to read your son's list.

“So? Are his demands doable?” Satoru slid into the sheets beside you and pulled himself closer to you, wrapping one of his arms around your waist in the process.

“Most of them are. He is really good at making lists, it turns out.” Satoru hummed as you continued to skim through Megumi’s scribble writing. It was the second to last one there that made you pause.

A day with my family doing fun stuff.

The words were drawn on slightly lighter than the other items on the list.

He spelt doing with a b.

All of the letters were closer together and looped, as if he didn’t actually want you to see what he had written.

All of those things melted your heart for some strange reason.

“Hmmm. That was cute of him.” Satoru cuts through your thinking with his slightly teasing words. “Oh. look at the last one!”

And so you did, only to find a less sweet wish, but still as cute as the one before it.

Replace Satoru with a dog.

Fuck Israel

Please report this user ( @ notmyannabeth ) They keep stealing people's artwork and editing it to whitewash Leah's Annabeth/Black!Annabeth, then claiming it as their own! On tumblr, I would consider reporting for - Hate Speech Violation

On Insta, I would consider reporting for - Hate Speech Or Symbols (both Report Account & Report Post) - Scam Or Fraud (both Report Account & Report Post) - False Information (both Report Account & Report Post) - It's Pretending To Be Someone else (Report Account and put the artists' usernames) Following artists they stole artwork from: @maru_davalos_art on Insta (1st post in img 1 and 2nd in img 2) @velinxi on Tumblr and Insta (2nd and 4th post in img 1) @_chipsip_ on Instagram @siminiecricketart on Tumblr and Insta (5th post in img 1 and 1st in img 2) @pmpkn_soup on Insta (6th image in img 1)

january 2024 : madison’s recs

PJO

— luke castellan

a place with you @supercutszns

true colours @↑

fighting chance @↑

all the stars (are closer) @initialchains

bleedin’ me dry @atlabeth

daylight 2 @tangledinlove

— clarisse la rue (the obsession is real✊😖🤭)

in a good way universe:

new romantics @star-girl69 (the LOML thank you for all of these masterpieces🙏🙏 you have me walking the fine line between fangirling and obsessed )

in a good way @↑

so it goes… @↑

the last time universe:

the last time @↑

cowboy like me @↑

stand-alones:

i can see you @↑

better than revenge @↑

fade into you @↑

nothings gonna hurt you baby @↑

let me love you like a woman @↑

music to watch girls to @↑

your girl @↑

don’t delete the kisses @↑

let the light in @↑

apocalypse @↑

comforting clarisse after her spear breaks @xanasaurusrex

wish you’d ask me @aphroditesmoon

‘cause i love this curse on our house @↑

maroon @thekissofaphrodite

the trees 2 @breadbrobin

clarisse and daughter of tyche @ampitrit3

thieves and prophecies @laenordeservedbetter

please, please let me get what i want @↑

pretty when you cry @herlondonboy (THE BEST FIC EVER OMG🤭)

between the breaths @abbeym28

pride @rose-pearls

young and beautiful @ellszie

ACOTAR

— azriel

game night @berryzxx

love will unravel me (so please keep your hands held tight) @utterlyazriel

the fated truth @thisblogisaboutabook

heavy weather @assassinsblade

arrows and ashes @assassinsblade (soooo much sadness heart aching tears running)

the artificer 2 3 4 @florencemtrash

the wizarding world

— draco malfoy (i know i know😭)

buy me presents @writingsbychlo

— theodore nott

i already have @tomriddleslove

divider credit to @cafekitsune thank you thank you thank you ❤️

Clarisse La Rue - I'm Your Man

Clarisse x gn! reader from any cabin but Hermes and Ares

An- This is my first PJO fanfic and it took me like a week to write this lol and I don't know if I really like it?? Pls tell me if you catch any mistakes or anything, you guys don't even want to know how many words I couldn't write. But there are about 3,000 words!!! Images aren't mine

Also, I think I will open request, so if anyone want me to write another PJO fanfic pls just send a request!!!!

Warnings!!- Kissing near the end, a weird amount of Chris and Luke, they are like your besties but they are also weird??? One swear, some fights and foreshadowing and stuff, I hope that's it

You hit the ground hard after you had tripped into the boundary that separated your new camp from the outside world. The stayr that had led you here ran past you and yelled a lot of words that somehow your ears couldn't pick up on.

The monster that had been chasing you previously roared and tried to reach out for you, but the force field (or whatever it was) protect you as you watched from the ground. Farther away, there seemed to be more shouts and loud noises.

“There you go, up up up up,” Two different hands gripped onto your biceps and loosened slightly when they had both pulled you up to your feet. They quickly tighten again though once you started to sway forwards.

“Woah, what happened to you?” You blinked and tried to turn to look at the person who had said that, but more shouting and loud thumps plus the strain on your neck caused the shocking feeling of probably the worst migraine of your life stopped you from doing anything.

“Let's take them to the infirmary. Some Apollo kid can take a look at them and then we can show them around once they feel better.”

At that point, the world was started to spin and you felt like you were being moved, but it was hard to tell. You were pretty sure that everything had turned black after a shout of victory filled the air.

You were starting to wish that you were still unconscious on the infirmary bed.

You were following to guys around, Chris and Luke, and they claimed that they were the ones that had help you get to the infirmary in the first place. They were bringing you around the camp, making sure to point out the bizarre and magical things. Like the pegasus.

“And over here, this is where we train. Luke is the best sword fighter in the camp.”

“Don't brag about me like that, it's weird.” Chris laughed and Luke punched him in the arm. They moved out of the taller grass to go towards the more compacted dirt area where other campers were shooting arrows and swinging swords.

You stood still in your spot, watching them. You missed your home and old normal life.

“Move it.” A shoulder bumped into your own, and you don’t know if it was pain or something more, but your whole arm felt as if it was touched by electricity. You jerked back, and the girl that had bumped into you raised an eyebrow. She was facing you now, and two other kids who you assumed were her siblings found a place behind her, as if they were some sort of shoulder pads.

“Well?” She tilted her head to the side, and you mirrored her.

“Is something wrong?” Your question made her two goons snort.

“You’re the newbie, right? Well, it was your monster that gave me this scar. I can hardly wield my spear now!” She pointed to her arm, which you only then realized was set in a cast. You must have been too busy paying attention to how beautiful her hair looked.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn't know you were the one fighting it. Thank you.” You nodded and turned away to go back over to Chris and Luke as Clarisse looked a bit confused and surprised.

Well, this might get interesting.

“How is she so pretty?” Your chin sat on the palm of your hand as you continued to stare at Clarisse as she twirled her spear and took the final blow against her opponent, being some kid from the Apollo cabin. Sweat glistened down the side of her face as the sun casted the perfect lighting to cast upon her smirk of victory. A towel was thrown onto your face, blinding you of the surrounding scenery.

“Gods, you kind of disgust me sometimes. No one looks good when they sweat like that.”  Chris shrugged as he whipped his face with a towel of his own.

You scoffed and got up off of the bench that you were sitting on. Training like this was never easy, especially at camp half blood, aka the camp of the Greek demigods. But, it did come with its separate perks.

“But Clarisse does. You shouldn't project on other people just because you aren’t fond of how you look after these battles.” Another towel was thrown at you as you giggled.

“She doesn't even like you that much, even after all of these years. Maybe you should give up trying to get closer to her. Did you see what she tried to do to Per-”

“Clarisse still isn’t really someone you want to interact with. Their are better people at this camp to get along with.” Luke interrupted Chris and handed the two of you cold bottles filled with what you assumed to be water. Chris started drinking it right away, while you sat it down on the bench along with your towel. Chris and Luke had shown you around the camp when you had just arrived, but even back a few years ago, there was just something you knew you needed to be wary of.

Even if Clarisse doesn’t like you the same way you like her, being around her has taught you some things about trusting others. And tips of how to weild a spear.

"As a head counselor, don't you think you should support relationships?” Luke rolled his eyes.

“Your not apart of my cabin, and neither is Clarrise, but I can still be worried about a friend, right?” You hummed and turned to head back up to the dining hall, or maybe your cabin. Anywhere more secluded would be nice at the least.

“Hey! You forgot all of your stuff!”

“A water bottle and towel aren’t stuff, Luke,  I’m good.”

The dining hall became less and less secluded the more the minutes passed. It wasn't really getting late, but teenage campers did find themselves to be very hungry after training and various other activities.

Closing your eyes, you leaned against the wooden pillar behind you and tried to let your mind calm a bit. You couldn't quite shake the bad feeling that seemed to loom over your shoulders.

Did you choose the right group to hang out with? The weight of friendship bracelets weighed down on your wrist. Time and time again, Chris and Luke, and also Clarisse, have proven themselves to be good and trustworthy people. So why did something always feel wrong? Why can’t you just trust them? And what do these feelings say about the future?

The bump of a shoulder against yours made you shake out of your thoughts and forced you to open your eyes.

“What’s wrong with you?” Clarisse stood in front of you, slight worry lines creased between her eyebrows. Suddenly the world didn’t seem so dark, and the evil didn’t seem too bad.

You grinned at her and she backed away, letting you take a place by her side. She was carrying some food on a lunch tray in her left hand while her right still clenched around her spear.

“You scared me there!” She hummed as she sat down at a table in the back that no one else was near or sitting at. You sat next to her.

“Don’t you want to go get food?” she focused her attention on placing her spear in a safe position, so she missed the smile that seemed to glow like the moon on your face. She was worrying about you! After a minute passed and with you not answering, she turned towards you with a raised eyebrow.

“Well?” You snapped out of the seemingly lovestruck way you were to answer what she had asked.

“Oh, I’m not too hungry. You don't need to worry about me one bit!” She turned away and picked up her fork to eat the still warm meat and mashed potatoes.

“I wasn’t.” she grumbled. The rest of the lunch was silent, with Clarisse eating and you picking at the peeling paint that still somehow coated the wooden table. The minute she was done shoveling all of the food into her mouth she got up and grabbed her spear. You jumped up after her, following as she returned the tray and left the dining hall.

“What are we gonna do now?”

“Spar. But you don't have to join.” Clarisse’s words sounded firm, but despite the seeming protest against you, she did want to spar with you. You had made great progress since you had first gotten to camp, progress that had made the daughter of the god of war and many others as jealous as it did make them proud. In time, Clarisse found that it might just benefit her to keep you around. You treated her nicely, and you could challenge her abilities while not being upset when she lashes out. You weren’t someone who would just come into her life at any time, but you were more like an anchor that grounded her. Feelings she had never even dreamed of feeling seemed to grow stronger each minute she's next to you.

She was just really terrible at showing it.

The two of you spent the rest of the day up until nightfall fighting. You called it quits first, the want and ache for food and a nice shower were starting to over take the feeling of needing to be around Clarrise.

She walked back with you to the showers, and you had to resist the twitching in your hand that reached to hold Clarisse’s.

With your hair still dripping wet, you made the short walk of going to the dining hall for a snack and then to your cabin. It was the laughter that rang out in the night air and the shadow of Clarisse’s silhouette that made you pause.

“So you don’t really like them, right? Why let them stay close to you like you do?” More questions seemed to arise, all from people you could recognize to be from the Ares cabin.

“We understand that they are useful to you. When it comes to them, it doesn't seem hard to please them either. The way they follow you around just kind of reminds me of a dog, ya’ know?”

Laughter seemed to get louder as the world around seemed to stop and spin faster at the same time. There were calls of your name, or maybe not, who knew? There seemed to be more sounds that sounded like fighting, sounds that remind you of when you had first crash landed at camp.

But all you really seemed to know was the maybe Luke and Chris were right, and that maybe the ground was getting closer, and maybe there were footsteps coming towards you, and maybe-

- You passed out. Chris was pacing back and forth in front of the bed you were laying in. You groaned and moved to sit up.

“Chris, what are yo-”

“OH MY GODS, YOU’RE AWAKE!!!??? ‘Kay, how many fingers am I holding up??” A hand was pushed right in your face but you groaned and paused his hand away and messaged your temple.

"What time is it?”

“It’s noon. You were out for, like, a solid day.” The refermery door opened quickly, making it slam a bit into the wood wall. You winced.

There was no way that your headache was going to go away any time soon.

Both Clarisse and Luke walked in, and there seemed to be some sort of angry tension between them. But they both seemed to loosen up a bit once they both saw you sitting up and watching them. Luke said your name in relief, but then Clarisse pushed past him in urgency.

“Come on, let's go somewhere else,” she grabbed your hand and tried to pull you up, but you did your best to put all of your weight in staying down.

“Clarisse, they just woke up. They need more rest, or at least some food-”

“That doesn’t matter right now, I need to talk to them about something, Luke.'' They were shooting daggers at each other through their eyes. Clarisse sighed and said your name. “Come on, we need to go-”

“Clarisse, I’m staying here.” You could feel the look of shock that she was giving you, but you focused on staring at the white bed sheets that you were fiddling with.

“Your cabin mates were right, and I think I don’t want to be your dog anymore. You don’t have to pretend anything anymore just to make sure you can keep me around, because I don't know if I want to be around you anymore.” The silence that followed your words was deafening. You peeked up through your eyelashes, and it seemed as if Clarisse was literally fuming.

“My cabin mates have no idea about anything they said. You are not a dog, and you have always been-”

“Clarisse, that's enough. They don't want to be near you anymore, so you should leave.” Clarisse glared at Luke, then looked back at you, staring for a long moment. She let out an angered huff.

“Fine, but you better watch your back from now on, Castellan.” And with that, she spun around and stomped out the door, slamming it hard enough that the whole cabin shook and a little vase full of flowers that was sitting on a windowsill fell and shattered into hundreds of pieces. In a strange way, it felt as if your heart could relate to it.

For the next week and a half, Clarisse was the one following you around.

Well, for the most part.

You would catch her staring from a distance while you practice archery with Luke, or when you did swimming lessons with the younger kids and Chris. You knew that she tried to get closer a few times, but with how close Chris and Luke stuck by your side, you could see that this whole situation was frustrating her to no end.

“You guys know you don't have to follow me around like that, right?” you set your lunch tray down on the table and Luke set his food down next to you and Chris sat across from you.

“We have to make sure our favorite camper is safe, right?” Luke patted you on the back as he took a bit of his food and you rolled your eyes.

That night, you snuck away from your cabin and down to the lake. Being out anywhere in camp after dark makes you feel paranoid, but almost nothing could compare to the serene scenery. You sat down on the edge of the lake, where the sand wasn’t that wet and the water's small waves could just barely touch your toes.

You brought your knees up to your chest and sighed and buried your head in them. Why didn’t anything feel right? Was taking a step back from Clarisse really the right answer?

A twig snapped from somewhere behind you and you sprung up and squinted towards the forest. Gods, please let it not be a harpy. But it wasn’t. It was Clarisse.

“What are you doing here?” You questioned her immediately as she walked closer towards you.

“Following you. What are you doing here?”

You stayed quiet and sunk back onto the sand. Clarisse silently sat down next to you, farther away than what you really wanted, but close enough so you could feel the heat of her, the heat that all of Ares’s kids seemed to have.

“I'm here to think. Clarisse, have I- have I been stupid?” The question came out more desperate than how you first wanted it to.

“Yes.” You laughed a bit at how quick her response came. But even with that, tears felt like they were coming into your eyes, and you angled your head to look at her. She was once again already looking at you, her gorgeous brown eyes slightly lidded and a small smile graced her lips.

“I care about you, Clarisse. Like, a lot.” You blurted the words out, and you almost regretted them. Almost, but then Clarisse scotched just a little bit closer to you.

Clarisse whispered your name and brought her hand up to your cheek. Your ears felt hot, and so did the spot that the girl in front of you was softly caressing.

“Why did you push me away like that?”

“Because… you don’t feel the way that I feel for you, and I've known that for years, Clarisse. And, your cabin mates, like, hate me. I just… didn't want to put myself through anything I wasn't prepared for, I guess.” The waves lapping away at the shore was the white noise that saved you from quite literally going crazy.

Clarisse just stared at you.

“Look, I don’t really have… the best relationships with other people, but I know that I care about you too. Also, I beat up siblings for saying all of that shit, so please stop using it as an excuse. ” Clarisse pulled you a little bit closer, as if she was asking a question. You answered it by letting her pull you towards her, and it was you who leaned in first.

The kiss was like a spark, with your lips on hers and with her hands moving to sit on your hips, gripping at them in a way that grounded the both of you just a bit. Your hands went to tangle in her curls, pulling on them gently as the kiss dragged on. You pulled away first, taking deep breaths and looking at Clarisse with wide eyes.

“I’ve been waiting to do that,” She went back in for another kiss, but you put your hands on her chest to make sure she stayed a bit away.

“Clarisse!” you whisper shouted as she blinked at you.

“What?”

“Should we really be, you know-”

She lightly grabbed the fabric of your shirt and pulled you back into her. Your second kiss was just as passionate as the first one, but the second one seemed to tell you so much more.

“I’m in love with you. I want to be yours, and I wish that you could be mine.”

You were taken aback by her words, but they made you weak in your knees and you could swear you were melting.

“I’m in love with you too. Iv'e been yours “

And then with the moonlight illuminating you both, you kissed Clarisse for the third that evening, which was most definitely not going to be the last one before the harpies could find you.

So, ik this isn't a fanfic, but today me and my siblings went out antiquing, and I found home ick Frankie nib!!!!!!

+what my siblings found 🫶 she was only 15 dollars😭

you know that one post where its like "you can tell if someones a warrior cats fan by asking them to draw a cat"? you can also do that with dragons